Jawbone & Cisco Aim To Unify Communications At Work And Beyond

Jawbone and Cisco are working together to make it easier for employees to move from one device to another throughout the day. The new Jawbone ICON for Cisco Bluetooth Headset can connect to Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones, Cisco Unified IP Phones, Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phones, or Cisco Cius, letting you make and receive calls from all sources via the same headset. The Jawbone ICON for Cisco Bluetooth Headsets is currently shipping with Cisco Unified IP Phones 9951 and 9971. International shipments will begin in October.

Jawbone Integrates With Cisco Video Endpoints Extending Unified Communications
Inside and Out of the Workplace

SAN FRANCISCO, and SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Jawbone and Cisco today announced they are closely collaborating to allow employees to easily move from device to device throughout their day. Jawbone ICON for Cisco Bluetooth Headset will intelligently bridge mobile phones and Internet Protocol (IP) phones in a way that is transparent to users and extends unified communications beyond the walls of the workplace.

Users will be able to connect to their Cisco® Unified IP phones and mobile phones simultaneously, creating a truly unified, wireless, and hands-free communications experience as they move from in-the-office to on-the-go. While on the same headset, employees can take a call from their desk phone and the next from their cell phone as calls can be handled from both sources at the same time on the same headset. The headset extends Jawbone's industry-first wearable software platform, with Cisco technology to deliver applications that span enterprise and mobile use. Jawbone's industry-leading industrial design and superior ergonomics ensures users can wear their unified communications wherever they go.

Shipments of the Jawbone ICON for Cisco Bluetooth Headsets have begun in the U.S. and Canada, bundled with Cisco Unified IP Phones 9951 and 9971. International shipments will begin in October 2010.

Key Facts / Highlights:

Users no longer need to remain tethered to their desks; their audio and voice follow them wherever they go, leaving their hands free for other tasks.

Employees can remain connected to both phones at the same time and don't have to pick up the handset on their ringing phone, then pick up their cell phone when it rings because both calls from both sources can be handled at the same time on the same headset.

Users will be able to make and receive calls from their Bluetooth-enabled mobile, Cisco Unified IP Phone, Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone or Cisco Cius and can switch among the endpoints as they change location.

Jawbone ICON for Cisco delivers built-in intelligence that allows the headset to be dynamically enhanced through new software applications and functional updates via the Jawbone MyTALK platform.

As rich new features and functionality are available, the headset can be easily updated either by the IT manager or user themselves.

"We live in an increasingly connected world where the lines between work and play are blurring fast, if not completely gone. People want integrated solutions that are valuable to them all the time regardless of where they are or what they are doing - these need to be lifestyle solutions with the best functionality in a form that is appealing," said Hosain Rahman, CEO of Jawbone. "No one is willing to make tradeoffs anymore and we are extremely fortunate to be collaborating with a company like Cisco that is committed to leading this vision of new user experiences around the best of both worlds: enhanced productivity through innovative enterprise-grade technology with an equal emphasis on user-centric design."

"Cisco understands the changing nature of work," said Steve Slattery, vice president and general manager IP Communications business unit, Cisco. "The Jawbone ICON for Cisco Bluetooth Headset is the type of next-generation device that will allow workers to collaborate regardless of where their work lives. This first wearable and updateable platform is the only one that enables enterprises to get more value out of the device over its lifetime through functional updates as Cisco enhances its UC offering."